About Me

Monday, February 02, 2009

Grate

Well I guess that stupid groundhog saw his shadow today and we are getting six more weeks of winter. Every morning I have to stop myself from playing the useless "why o why o why o did I ever leave the beach house?" game. It's hard though because seriously, remember how this was my life?

However, I have A LOT to be grateful for these days and I have been diligently trying to keep track of such things as part of my quest to make 2009 a productive and happy year. Here are a few things I was thinking about today.

1. I'm really lucky to have a mother who will still pick up the phone even when she knows the grown daughter on the other side is probably going to dissolve into tears early in the conversation. My mom has been incredibly patient and supportive throughout a rather lengthy rough patch and if she is getting tired of being there for me, she is doing a helluva job of keeping it to herself.

2. I am grateful for social networking. I know lots of people think it's a waste of time or they don't really want to reconnect with people they sat in front of in high school history classes but I love it. One day over Christmas I was enjoying sushi and great conversation with long lost friends from college I reconnected with via Facebook and I just kept thinking how wonderful it is to know these people again as adults. It's so easy to remember people as the half-formed stereotypes we all were when we were younger but it's been so worth the time to dig a little deeper.

3. In the time since Morgan was born I'm even more in love with technology. I love that my mother knows how to upload videos to YouTube so I can watch him wake up from a nap. I love getting random photo texts of the little guy's ridiculously cute smile. I hope I don't always live a million miles from pretty much everyone I love but until then, all these little tools keep me feeling like maybe they are all just around the corner.

4. I am thankful for photos. I can lose hours of my life sifting through my iphoto or the actual physical photo boxes in my closet. I always think that I have this incredible memory and that I remember everything. Going through photos usually proves that theory so terribly wrong and I end up getting to rediscover awesomeness I would have completely forgotten.

5. Lastly, I'm happy to be an American. I got home from my mission to Switzerland 9 years ago this week (OMG I AM SO OLD!!!) and even though living in Europe was a dream come true, I was so deliriously happy to land in the United States again. I was thinking that again last week when I got back from Spain. I cannot overstate how much I enjoy Barcelona-beautiful city, wonderful people, delicious food-but yeah, I'm a red white and blue girl and happy to be!!

jamie-you should really call me the next time you are in the states...so easy to throw ourselves a little pity party when we are lonely isn't it.

canada-it's warm there right ; )

melissa, i do tell myself-well at least i'm not in chicago! the midwest is the only place i am NOT jealous of right now. why does bad weather just make life seem like a drag no matter what? it's not right.

I agree with the American thing. I was in Mexico on my honeymoon last week, and while it was pretty cool, I was so excited to land in my country. I don't care if I never leave the States again. I'm pretty sure I'm never going to Europe or anywhere not in North America.